2014 Public Interest Fellowship at the South Asian Bar Association

About SABA-NC and the SABA-NC Foundation

The South Asian Bar Association of Northern California ("SABA-NC") strives to advocate for the South Asian community, promote alliances among South Asian legal professionals in Northern California and throughout the nation, support those who value diversity in the legal profession, assist law students and those interested in the law, provide information to members on careers and the legal market in Northern California, and provide an avenue for professionals and other community leaders to take an interest in matters of concern to South Asian attorneys.

The SABA-NC Foundation ("Foundation") is the charitable arm of the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California. It was established in 1999 to support SABA-NC's community outreach and advocacy programs. The SABA-NC Foundation's mission is to promote access to justice for all people in the community, particularly those struggling with economic crisis, abuse, and discrimination. The Foundation is the embodiment of SABA-NC's commitment to this fundamental principle. The SABA-NC Foundation accomplishes this mission by providing fellowships and grants to law students and organizations that seek to provide quality legal services and address unmet legal needs in the South Asian community and the Northern California community-at-large.

About the SABA-NC Foundation Fellowship

The Foundation provides financial assistance in the form of a summer fellowship for a law student working at a public interest or government agency. The primary purpose of the fellowship is to fund a student's internship with a public interest organization or government agency in Northern California that is doing work, which impacts the South Asian community and/or the Northern California community-at-large. For example, in 2012, the Foundation awarded four individual fellowships to law students working with the Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach, Muslim Advocates, the San Francisco Public Defender Office, and the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment, and one organizational fellowship to Bay Area Solidary Summer.

Fellowship Selection Criteria

Each applicant must be a current law student in good standing and must plan to be employed or intern with a public interest organization or government agency during the summer of 2014. In addition, applicants must have demonstrated commitment to serving issues that impact the South Asian community. The Foundation considers all of the materials submitted by the applicant, with particular weight given to the applicant's essay. Other factors that the Foundation may consider include commitment to public service, financial need, academic achievement, and other personal circumstances. Strong preference will be afforded to applicants who are enrolled in a Northern California law school and employed at a Northern California organization doing work that directly impacts the South Asian community.

Fellowship Application Instructions

Applicants must submit the following materials: (1) Completed application form (available in the Document Library on McGeorgeCareersOnline); (2) Essay responses; (3) Resume with two references; (4) Completed employer form; (5) Completed financial information form; and (6) Unofficial law school transcript. Applicants may also submit the following optional materials: letters of recommendation, and any additional evidence of financial need. Application materials must be sent no later than 5 p.m. on March 14, 2014 to the following email address: Zahra Billoo, SABA-NC Foundation Secretary, foundation.sabanc@gmail.com.